Importing a player to the USA from the UK - yes, it works! - Blu-ray Forum

ukpaul · 02-01-2023, 10:35 AM

Just to add my own solution.

*Note - this is as someone in the UK needing a means of playing region A blurays.*

Rather than risk a mod that might go wrong (especially if I needed to affix it myself) I decided to import a player that would pretty much work in the UK out of the box.

Needing a reliable company sending it that would refund any shipping back if it was damaged, I chose Amazon. Would have used others but, in this case, their in house delivery made sense.

Research here and elsewhere led me to Sony, because of their external PSU. Comparing specs in various handbooks it was clear that switching out the US PSU for a UK one would work. So no need for a voltage transformer.

The S3700 looked good but Amazon US only had a model that had the same specs and, to all intents and purposes seemed to be the same machine. That being the BDP-BX370. Less than eighty dollars and with shipping that came to around £107 using the quicker delivery option, all import taxes paid for.

It arrived within a few days, I swapped out the PSU for a UK one and it works perfectly.

The only downside for some may be that it's an extra machine to accommodate but it's tiny, looking more like an external CD/BD writer than anything, and takes up barely any space. Those with no spare HDMI slots would also have to deal with that. Apps are also poor but people will have better options via other services/machines. The rest, in terms of ease of use and picture quality makes this a great cost effective solution for anyone in the UK wanting to play region A locked discs.

Others, in the US, can say if this would work in reverse (the S3700 is available in region B UK but not this, similar model) but the availability of other options that are as cost effective might mean that those are better. In the UK, this is as cost effective a method as any I've found.

02-01-2023, 10:35 AM	#29
ukpaul Active Member Member since:Nov 2021 Location:Yorkshire	Just to add my own solution. Note - this is as someone in the UK needing a means of playing region A blurays. Rather than risk a mod that might go wrong (especially if I needed to affix it myself) I decided to import a player that would pretty much work in the UK out of the box. Needing a reliable company sending it that would refund any shipping back if it was damaged, I chose Amazon. Would have used others but, in this case, their in house delivery made sense. Research here and elsewhere led me to Sony, because of their external PSU. Comparing specs in various handbooks it was clear that switching out the US PSU for a UK one would work. So no need for a voltage transformer. The S3700 looked good but Amazon US only had a model that had the same specs and, to all intents and purposes seemed to be the same machine. That being the BDP-BX370. Less than eighty dollars and with shipping that came to around £107 using the quicker delivery option, all import taxes paid for. It arrived within a few days, I swapped out the PSU for a UK one and it works perfectly. The only downside for some may be that it's an extra machine to accommodate but it's tiny, looking more like an external CD/BD writer than anything, and takes up barely any space. Those with no spare HDMI slots would also have to deal with that. Apps are also poor but people will have better options via other services/machines. The rest, in terms of ease of use and picture quality makes this a great cost effective solution for anyone in the UK wanting to play region A locked discs. Others, in the US, can say if this would work in reverse (the S3700 is available in region B UK but not this, similar model) but the availability of other options that are as cost effective might mean that those are better. In the UK, this is as cost effective a method as any I've found.

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